Sensi Magazine-Denver/Boulder (July 2016)

07.2016T H E N E W N O R M A L

not ONLY FOR THE MOUN TAINS

CANNATOURISTS FLOCK IN RECORD NUMBERS

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for the

coming

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contents.BUD+BREAKFASTHoteliers Joel & Lisa Schneider

24ISSUE 3 VOLUME 1 07.2016

JULY 2016 www.sensimag.com 5

42

6 Editor’s Note 8 Ask Leland/Q&A10 Sensi Buzz 14 Perspectives READING THE DEA TEA LEAVES

16 EdibleCriticTASTE TRIP

24 CannaBizBUD+BREAKFAST

48 SensiSceneDENVER COMIC CON

EVERY ISSUE

Sensi Magazine is published monthly in Denver, CO, by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2016 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

48

26 A Long, Strange Trip Colorado is one of America’s premier tourist destinations. But who knew it could be so ... weird? 34 Paired to Perfection Kendal Norris of Mason Jar Event Group blends together southern charm and flawless style with a Rocky Mountain High during luxe events that are nothing short of blissful.

38 The Mary Jane of Pain Teri Robnett not only is one of the most prominent cannabis activists here in Colorado, she’s also a cannabis patient.

42 Coming for the Cannabis State and local tourist agencies won’t have anything to do with it, but canna-tourism is bringing visitors to Colorado for an elevated way to enjoy the state’s natural wonders.

COMIC CONDenver’s Colorado Convention Center

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EX ECUTI V E

Ron Kolb, CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUPRON.KOLB @SENSIMAG.COM

Tae Darnell, PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA [email protected]

Alex Martinez, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER [email protected]

E DI T O R I AL

Rob Feeman, CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER/[email protected]

Stephanie Wilson, MANAGING [email protected]

Leland Rucker, SENIOR [email protected]

John Lehndorff, FOOD [email protected]

Randy RobinsonCONTRIBUTING EDITOR/[email protected]

DE S IG N & PHOTOGR A PH Y

Jennifer Tyson, DESIGN [email protected]

Stacey Jacobs, DESIGNER [email protected]

Kim Sidwell, CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER [email protected]

BUSINESS & A DM I N ISTRATIVE

Tyler Tarr, PUBLISHER [email protected]

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sensi magazine ISSUE 3 VOLUME 1 07.2016 masthead.

DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU STAND ON THE CANNABIS ISSUE,

THIS IS EITHER THE BEST OF TIMES OR THE WORST OF TIMES.

WITH THE wave of legalization (A TSUNAMI, REALLY)

SWEEPING THE COUNTRY, FOR BOTH MEDICAL AND RECREATION-

AL CANNABIS, THIS COULD BE THE DAWN OF AN AGE OF WISDOM,

OR AN AGE OF FOOLISHNESS; A COMING SEASON OF LIGHT, OR

ONE OF DARKNESS; A SPRING OF HOPE, OR A WINTER OF DESPAIR

(ALL WITH APOLOGIES TO DICKENS, OF COURSE).

Some of the above might sound like hyperbole, but honestly, it’s not. While

some stalwart foes of cannabis are beginning to realize that this little green

plant is not as bad as we’ve been led to believe for decades, others still stand

strongly against it, due in part to long-ingrained beliefs. At the very least, legal-

ization continues to drive heated debates, confusing regulations, and conflicts

between even the best of friends, neighbors, and family members.

Consider, for instance, what’s happening right here in the metro region.

Two municipalities, Aurora and Littleton, have taken decidedly different

approaches to the cannabis issue. When the city leaders of Aurora learned

they’d received more tax revenue than anticipated from the city’s dis-

pensaries, including 21 recreational dispensaries, they decided to earmark

$4.5 million of that financial windfall to help the homeless. Meanwhile,

Littleton recently killed a proposal to allow the sale of recreational can-

nabis, by a vote of 5–1, in part because some fear what it would do to the

fabric of the community, with one resident saying it would “erode the

pillars of society.”

These conversations, opinions, and decisions are not unique, and indeed,

are part of the new normal. And they’re taking place everywhere. Ohio

lawmakers recently approved the sale of medical marijuana, while advo-

cates in Nebraska have abandoned such an effort. In West Virginia, a reso-

lution has been introduced to allow the sale of recreational marijuana,

in part to help the state’s budget crisis, while the teamsters are opposing

a recreational sales initiative in California. In New York City, the police com-

missioner, Bill Bratton, is firmly convinced that cannabis is driving acts of

violence. At the other end of the spectrum, Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the

House, is talking about passing a CBD-oil bill this session.

And so it goes. It’s getting so you can’t tell the players without a score-

card. America is in transition, in the midst of a great conversation, one that

is messy and confusing even to experts in the subject. But, ultimately, it’s

necessary. It’s how all great change comes about. All we can do is hang on

for the ride, and hope wisdom, and not foolishness, prevails.

editor’sNOTE

Rob Feeman, EDITOR

Boss TubesCannabis CleanCannabis Patients AllianceConcentrateSupply Co. EndoCanna Extract CraftExtracted Colorado

GreenHouse Payment SolutionsHemptationsHigh SocietyJett CannabisLab SocietyL oopr Lucid MoodmarQahaMighty Fast Herbal Infuser

MountainHigh SuckersPathways Natural Wellness CenterNeosRxCBDSimply PureSymbiartic GlassTerrapin Care StationTinctureBelleWana Brands

ADV ISORY BOARD

National Cannabis Industry Association

Students for a Sensible Drug Policy

Women Grow

MEDIA PA RT NERS

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

KIM

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askLELAND

Our curious cannabis expert, LELAND RUCKER, answers your questions about all things pot related.

KIM

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In 1970, the U.S. Congress passed the Comprehensive Drug

Abuse Prevention and Control Act. Title B of that legislation

was the Controlled Substances Act, which classified illegal

drugs into five schedules, or categories, with Schedule I reserved for the most

heinous and worthless.

What has almost been lost to history was CSA’s Part F, which called for a

commission to study the medical, cultural, and legal ramifications of marijuana

use on society and come up with recommendations based on what it learned.

Nixon got to choose the head of the commission, and he dispatched a former

Pennsylvania governor, Raymond Shafer, to deliver a (wink, wink) document that

proved that marijuana was subverting our youth and undermining the country.

Shafer’s National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse took its charge

seriously and produced, to date, the only serious study of marijuana yet under-

taken in the U.S. It offers a lengthy history of marijuana use and regulation,

and its main conclusion is that marijuana should be decriminalized for adults

for personal use.

“The criminal law is too harsh a tool to apply to personal possession even

in the effort to discourage use,” it concluded. “The actual and potential harm of

use of the drug is not great enough to justify intrusion by the criminal law into pri-

vate behavior, a step which our society takes only with the greatest reluctance.”

But have you ever heard about this? Not likely. Nixon and his attorney

general, John Mitchell, were not reluctant, and they succeeded, almost spite-

fully, to classify pot as a Schedule I drug, in the same category as heroin,

LSD, ecstasy, mescaline, quaaludes, the “date-rape” drug GHB, and psilocy-

bin. Nobody remembers Shafer, and though Nixon did a great job of burying

the report, it’s today available online (WWW.SENSIMAG.COM/SHAFER) and well worth

perusing if you’re even remotely interested in the topic of marijuana legaliza-

tion. Even more shameful, it has taken seven administrations to finally soften

this absolute anti-cannabis stance, and the Obama administration only acted

after individual states, including Colorado, took it upon themselves to decrim-

inalize marijuana.

Cocaine, because of its limited medical use, got a Schedule II classification,

which means the U.S. government today officially considers cocaine safer than

marijuana. Break out the medical coke, everybody.

The Shafer Commission THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST DEPRESSING AND SHAME-

FUL TALES IN THE HISTORY OF THE 20TH CENTURY, AND

ONE THAT STILL ECHOES AND REVERBERATES TODAY

EVEN THOUGH ALMOST NOBODY REMEMBERS IT.

Lela

nd R

ucke

r

Got a question about anythingmarijuana related? Email your query to:[email protected] and if we answer your question, you’ll get some cool Sensi merch.

ask it.

IS IT TRUE THAT

PRESIDENT

RICHARD NIXON

IGNORED HIS

OWN COMMISSION

THAT SUGGESTED

LEGALIZING

MARIJUANA

BACK IN THE 1970s?

SHARON ENGLEWOOD



FIND QUAL IT Y C ANN ABIS,

S.T.A.T.We all know about the four Cs of diamonds, right?

It’s a system of judging the quality of the gemstones

developed by the prestigious GIA—the Gemological

Institute of America. The shiny objects are rated based

on Cut, Quality, Clarity, and Color, a relatively simple

system that created a universal method for assessing

the quality of the stone. In the relative nascent can-

nabis industry, such a standard was lacking before

now. Kicking off the 4/20 holiday week here in Den-

ver, the team at Good Chemistry Nurseries launched

S.T. A .T. S., A FREE C ANNABIS E VALUATION GUIDE .

The S.T.A.T.S. method (Sight, Touch, Aroma, Taste, Sen-

sation) is a five-step process for identifying high qual-

ity, remarkable flower. You can read all about the meth-

od, which includes a breakdown of some of the aromas

to expect from high-quality cannabis (floral, earthy,

citrus, oh my!) and from poor-quality bud (mold, hay,

and must, oh no!). Download a free digital guide at

WWW. STATSGUIDE.ORG. Or you can pick up hard copy

booklets at Good Chemistry in Denver and Aurora.

The goal is to have the booklets available in all dispen-

saries in the near future to create the universal guide

that the cannabis industry so desperately needs.

T R E AT T I M E L E A F S B Y SNOOP DA R K C H O C O L AT E

Last month, I wrote about celebrity cannabis brands. (If you didn’t catch it, you can read it on WWW.SENSIMAG.

COM.) Well, in all fairness, I de-cided to put one to the test. Since he’s probably the most

famous dude with an available line of weed products, I checked out Snoop Dogg’s “Leafs by Snoop” Dark Choc-olate. Its box definitely pleased the eye, something be-tween modern art and wallpaper someone might find inside of a 1970s bungalow. Inside were ten triangles of chocolate arranged to form the typical candy bar. Each 8 mg THC triangle is gluten-free, so even those with sen-sitive tummies can enjoy it. I snapped one off, popped it in my mouth, and let it melt across my tongue over the course of a couple of minutes. The confection carried a smidgen of bitter cocoa balanced by a faint sweetness, two opposing sensations that delightfully smoothed over any trace of cannabis. The slightly bitter aftertaste lingered on my taste buds long after I swallowed, so to get rid of that, I ate another one—I’m a forward-think-ing individual, after all. For me, two servings did the trick. An hour later, I felt as if I’d just woken up from midafter-noon catnap. The world seemed dreamy, hazy, and soft like a chic Instagram filter. Best of all, the effect lasted a good part of the day. The only downside is the box’s built-in child safety mechanism, which required some brute force to overcome. But hey, isn’t that what the child safety is for? For locations that provide this chocolate and other quaintly packaged Snoop Dogg edibles, check out WWW.LEAFSBYSNOOP.COM.

–RANDY ROBINSON

WE ARE THE NEW AMERICANA . HIGH ON LEGAL MARIJUANA . {SKY HIGH.}

–HAL SEY

sensibuzzTHE NEW NORMAL

T

D

Lacelebri(read it onCOM

cided to put one to the Since he’s

famous dude with an available

READING THE DEA TEA LEAVESThe Drug Enforcement Administration is

considering changing cannabis from a Schedule 1 drug. Here’s what may happen if and when they do.

{perspectives}by RANDY ROBINSON


A Bit of HistoryWhat if I told you one reason marijuana is illegal is because

one of our presidents wanted to drop nukes on Vietnam? It sounds crazy, but consider we won the Pacific War rather swiftly by dropping atomic bombs on Japan. From a purely homicidal standpoint, it makes sense. However, this presi-dent never got permission to turn Asia’s rice bowl into a glass bowl for obvious reasons.

Instead of taking his advisors on their word (or, I don’t know, using common sense), this president believed there must have been a vast conspiracy brainwashing not only his advisors, but the entirety of America. And that this vast con-spiracy was directed by gay, communist Jews.

Now what if I told you this was true? Not the pink flag- waving pinkos part, but that we had a president who actually believed this?

His name was Richard Nixon. And yes, he actually believed this. And yes, this is why marijuana is outlawed. If you don’t believe me, google “Watergate tapes” and have a good laugh. Or a good cry, because his paranoid fantasy destroyed thou-sands of lives and wasted trillions of dollars.

According to Nixon, the gay commie conspiracy recruited hippies and blacks, the two groups that most vocally opposed the Vietnam War. If these two groups would just shut up, then maybe, just maybe, Nixon could deploy nuclear weapons on the Mekong. But he couldn’t make being black or being a hip-pie illegal, so he masterminded the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. This law placed marijuana — the counterculture’s herb of choice — in Schedule I, reserved for only the most dangerous substances known. For reference, heroin is also in Schedule I, but meth and cocaine are in Schedule II.

The DEA’s Change of Heart?The Controlled Substances Act also gave the DEA sole au-

thority over a plant that’s less addictive than the caffeine in tea and less toxic than the water used to brew it.

It’s been nearly half a century since Nixon began his War on Drugs. Today, we know cannabis has medicinal value, but without clinical trials, there’s no definitive study that shows marijuana is medicine. The DEA, unsurprisingly, hasn’t permit-ted clinical trials for cannabis because weed is so dangerous. This is basically a circular argument wrapped around a self- fulfilling prophecy.

But there’s good news. Two months ago, the DEA and the FDA finally approved clinical trials for cannabis against post- traumatic stress (PTS). This is a daring step, because the DEA’sentire existence hinges on cannabis being illegal. That’s be-cause the DEA commands an annual budget of $2 billion, most of which goes to raiding marijuana grows.

In addition to the DEA’s blessing for what could be a ground-breaking study, the DEA is also doing its regular review of marijuana’s scheduling. Will they move it down to Schedule II? Will they deschedule it altogether? Who knows? If history is any guide, then it’s likely the DEA won’t reschedule mari-juana any time soon.

We Don’t Have to Wait, ReallyYou see, even if this clinical study shows that weed treats

PTS, it’ll take years before anything conclusive comes out. And even if this years-long study discovers that cannabis has medicinal value, the DEA may fall back on its mountain of (largely fabricated) anti-cannabis studies. These studies, which reach back to 1970, come from the National Institute


of Drug Abuse (NIDA), the DEA’s “scientific” propaganda arm. NIDA wields a $1 billion budget of its own.

For those of us trying to free the plant, that means we’re go-ing up against a $3 billion war chest from two very ignorant, very stubborn federal organizations. How could we ever compete?

Swirl the cup. Read the leaves.Colorado’s cannabis industry should hit the $1 billion mark

any day now. If we combine rec and medical sales from other states, our “collective budget” is roughly $2.7 billion. Just shy of the feds’ war chest, but we’re getting close.

Consider, too, that California—the seventh largest econo-my in the world and America’s most populous state—may legalize recreational sales this November. California could net over $3 billion in sales in its first year alone, which would put our total war chest at nearly double the DEA’s and NIDA’s.

Money is mainstreaming cannabis. The more money this industry makes, the greater our chances of pushing for real reform at the federal level. We can spend the rest of our lives legalizing medical and recreational for individual states, but until the feds give up this fight, we’re trying to push an army uphill. Maybe you can’t afford to spend countless hours pick-eting at government offices, raising hell at council hearings, or sending angry letters to your representatives.

If that’s the case, then just spend some of your cash on pot: conscious consumerism is a form of activism.

PRIOR TO THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT, NIXON

ASSEMBLED A TASK FORCE OF DOCTORS, SCIENTISTS,

ANTHROPOLOGISTS, AND PSYCHOLOGISTS LED BY DR.

SCHAFER. NIXON WANTED IRREFUTABLE PROOF THAT

MARIJUANA WAS MORE DANGEROUS THAN HEROIN (WHICH

IT IS NOT). AFTER INTENSIVE STUDY ACROSS MULTIPLE

CONT INENTS, THE SHAFER COMMISSION CONCLUDED

THAT NOT ONLY WAS CANNABIS SAFE, BUT THAT NIXON

SHOULD REMOVE ALL LAWS CRIMINALIZING ITS USE.

NIXON, CONVINCED HIS TEAM HAD BEEN INFILTRATED BY

THE GAY COMMUNIST CONSPIRACY, FIRED THE COMMISSION

AND BURIED THEIR REPORT.

{criminalization}


Share your favorite Colorado ethnic dining destinations.Email comments to: [email protected]

do tell.

The only way to move beyond the same old sweet-and-sour pork or the enchilada combo plate No. 2 is to go to places that make you squirm just a little, at least until you eat. Ignore the naysayers who insist that Denver’s ethnic dining scene is too vanilla. Exactly the opposite is true. A coterie of cool Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, and other fa-miliar eateries includes exotic islands of Filipino, Guatemalan, Malaysian, and Ethiopian fare in Denver, Aurora, and even in the beige suburbs.

Some of the eateries are small, inexpensive, and hidden in strip malls with rough parking lots and no frills. That’s usually a sign that these cafes are the real thing operated by immigrant families who welcome newbies who want to taste and learn. Other cultural dining destinations are elegant places with ap-propriate service, fare, and price tag.

Don’t be afraid of ordering where there is a language barrier. If you wonder how to eat the food, ask or watch how other diners wrap a morsel of Ethiopian kitfo in injera bread or eat a bowl of Vietnamese pho.

I love that disoriented feeling I get after a two-hour immer-sion in Cuban or Iranian flavors, aromas, and table chatter. I may not be able to take an overseas vacation this year, but that doesn’t mean my palate has to stay home and be humdrum. Here is a taster of some of my favorite international haunts to get you started on a multicultural road trip.

{1 } CubaBefore you head out for one of the first tours to Havana, do some research first. Before you get in CUBA CUBA’S front door, the sin-uous beat of Cuban music seeps into your hips. A mojito or Cuba libre can assist the loosening process along with a ropa vieja empanada. The menu includes a memorable Cubano pressed sandwich and plates of lechon asado, fall apart pork shoulder with onions, maduros (rice and beans), and a black bean reduction.CUBA CUBA CAFÉ AND BAR // 1173 DEL AWARE ST., DENVER303-605-2822 // WWW.CUBACUBACAFE.COM { ALSO IN HIGHL ANDS RANCH }

{ediblecritic}by JOHN LEHNDORFF

TASTE TRIPBehind Denver’s beige façade beats a vibrant multinational

world of dining escapes

TASTE TRIPBehind Denver’s beige façade beats a vibrant multinational

world of dining escapes


JOHN LEHNDORFF is the former dining critic of the Rocky Mountain News. He hosts Radio Nibbles on KGNU. Podcasts at: WWW.KGNU.ORG/CATEGORY/FEATURES.RADIO-NIBBLES.

{3 } ThailandWhen you taste a bowl of soup and your head feels like it’s going to explode, there are two possibilities: a) You overdid it on the Purple Kush appetizer, or b) You are slurping tom kha at US THAI C AFE, where the very air is infused with capsaicin from all the frying chilies. The small, humble Edgewater eatery dishes curries, stir-frys, noodles, and soups packed with lay-ers of spice and super-fresh vegetables. However, even the menu’s so-called “mild-plus” level will make you sweat. For a good time, bring along a self-described hothead and dare them to order their green curry “Thai hot.” Bring a towel for the sweat and the tears. US THAI CAFE // 5228 W. 25TH AVE., EDGEWATER // 303-233-3345

{4 } Denmark Make a pilgrimage this summer to the land of butter and sugar located conveniently in the foothills of the Rockies. Denmark-born master bakers Ronny Tronoe and Diana Honoe craft first-class kringles, strudels, coffee cakes, cardamom-flavored buns, densely seeded loaves, and even glazed, filled “Danish” at the aptly named TASTE OF DENMARK . This bakery and café is a joy for all the senses, but if you arrive in an elevated state, you may need to workout afterwards like a raiding Viking to balance out the carb load. TASTE OF DENMARK // 1901 S. KIPLING ST., L AKEWOOD; 303-987-8283 // WWW.TASTEOFDENMARK.NET

{5 } Mexico Step up for real Mexican street food such as tongue tacos with lime and cilantro dished by a staff of steely-eyed women at EL TACO DE MEXICO. I have a hard time not ordering the bur-rito stuffed with cheese-stuffed chile rellenos and smothered in smoldering pork green chile. Visit on the first Friday of the month when the Santa Fe Arts district is bustling with openings. EL TACO DE ME XICO // 714 SANTA FE DRIVE, DENVER // 303-623-3962

Side Trips PHILIPPINES: SUNBURST GRILL // 2295 S. CHAMBERS ROAD // AURORA // 303-752-6389

MAL AYSIA: MAKAN MAL AYSIAN CAFE // 1859 SOUTH PEARL ST., DENVER // 720-524-8093 // WWW.MAKANMYFOOD.COM

ITALY: CARMINE LONARDO’S MARKET // 15380 SMOKY HILL ROAD, AURORA // 303-699-4532 // WWW.CARMINESITALIANDELI.COM

AFRICA: AFRICAN GRILL & BAR // 18601 GREEN VALLEY RANCH BLVD, DENVER // 303-375-7835 // WWW.AFRICANGRILLCO.COM

{2 } PolandCabbage rolls and kielbasa are dished in generous portions at this fast casual Polish eatery, but the line out the door is for the pierogies, Poland’s greatest gift to global comfort food. The boiled or pan-fried dumplings are filled with mashers and cheese or onions, ground pork, or feta and spinach. PIEROGIES FACTORY owner Cezary Grosfeld crowns them with everything from caramelized onions and sour cream to green chile sauce. PIEROGIES FACTORY // 3895 WADSWORTH BLVD., WHEAT RIDGE // 303-425-7421 // WWW.PIEROGIESFACTORY.COM

US THAI CAFE

TASTE OF DENMARK

EL TACO DE MEXICO

You can read about moreethnic eats on our website:

WWW.SENSIMAG.COM

S P E C IA L A DV I S ORY B OA R D S E C T ION

It's a Groovy Kind of Love

The Creative Team Behind KIND LOVE

JUST A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM CHERRY CREEK AND THE

CHERRY CREEK TRAIL, THERE’S A BRICK, CORNER-STYLE

BUILDING TUCKED BETWEEN LEETSDALE AND ALAMEDA.

THE GROUND FLOOR IS A MEDICAL DISPENSARY. THE

SECOND FLOOR IS A RECREATIONAL SHOP. AND BOTH

FEATURE SOME OF THE FINEST CANNABIS FLOWERS AVAIL-

ABLE ON EITHER SIDE OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

“We’re growing boutique, connoisseur-quality buds on a large scale,” says Matt LaBrier, the store’s general manager. “We only put it on our shelves if it’s something we want to smoke.”

Kind Love is best known for cultivating amazing batches of estab-lished strains, such as Blue Dream and Girl Scout Cookies. However,its best sellers are some of the newer rock stars in the cannabis scene,such as more exotic genetics like Bordello and Alien Rock Candy.

“We’re super-focused on quality, and always striving to do better than we did in the last round,” says Kind Love’s director of culti-vation, Andy Sack. “If we grew a phenomenal batch of Alien Rock Candy, then I say, ‘Okay, that’s where the bar is set for us now. Now, we got to do better.’”

Kind Love’s never-ending process involves fine-tuning the grow and cure

as the team experiments with improved terpene profiles, cannabinoid

ratios, and trimming methods.

Kind Love’s commitment to quality won them some accolades, including the Westword naming them for “Best Flower” in this year’s “Best of Denver” issue. Westword also dubbed Kind Love’s Bordello the No. 1 strain of 2015.

Just how does a single dispensary generate high-quality flowers in a fast-paced recreational market? “Teamwork,” Iselin says. “It is really important to us. To have a staff of 70 people and everyone comes into work happy each day–it’s really good for us to make that an action and not just a belief.”

AS THE CANNABIS

INDUSTRY GROWS, SO

DO THE NUMBER OF

NICHE EXPERTS WITHIN

IT. CONCENTRATES.

EXTRACTION. EDIBLES.

GROWS. AND SO MUCH

MORE. SENSI MAG ASKED

THE TOP LEADERS IN

EACH OF THESE SECTIONS

TO JOIN WHAT WE’RE

CALLING THE SENSI

SPECIAL ADVISORY

BOARD. THESE LEADERS

ARE INVITED TO IMPART

SOME OF THEIR INDUSTRY

KNOWLEDGE WITH OUR

READERS IN THIS SPECIAL

ADVISORY BOARD SECTION,

WHICH APPEARS IN EACH

EDITION. THIS MONTH,

WE HEAR FROM THE

MASTERMINDS AT KIND

LOVE DISPENSAR Y,

GREENHOUSE PAYMENT

SOLUTIONS, AND TERPENE

MOOD-ENHANCEMENT

COMPANY LUCIDMOOD.

For a full list of our Advisory

Board Members, turn to

the masthead on page 6.




DO YOU WANT TO FEEL AROUSED, ENERGETIC, EUPHORIC, FOCUSED, GIGGLY, RELAXED, SLEEPY, OR

UPLIFTED? ONLY ONE PLANT CAN MAKE YOU FEEL ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT WAYS AND THAT PLANT

IS CANNABIS. CANNABIS IS THE MOST VERSATILE PSYCHOACTIVE KNOWN TO SCIENCE WITH EFFECTS

RANGING FROM RELAXATION ON PAR WITH ALCOHOL AND ALERTNESS ON PAR WITH CAFFEINE.

The Cannabis Experienceby CHARLES JONES // CEO, LucidMood

What accounts for this extraordinary versatility? Why do we feel a burst of energy when we consume Super Lemon Haze but feel locked to the couch whenwe consume OG Kush? The answer is terpenes.

Terpenes represent a large family of chemicals that are produced by aromat-ic plants such as lavender, pine trees, lemons, mint, rosemary, clove, hops, and many more—including cannabis. Terpenes affect the way cannabinoids bind to the cannabinoid receptors in your brain and modulate the effects that cannabi-noids (including cannabinoids that are native to your brain such as anandamide as well as cannabinoids that have been introduced from outside such as THC) are having on a variety of physiological processes including appetite, pain-sen-sation, mood, and memory.

If you have ever felt a burst of alertness from cutting open a lemon, you have experienced the effect of a terpene called limonene binding to the cannabinoid receptors in your brain. Likewise, if you have ever felt a wave of relaxation in response to lavender aromatherapy, you have experienced the effect of a ter-pene called linalool.

If you have not experienced either of these effects, don’t worry—you are not alone. The mood-modulating effects of terpenes tend to be quite subtle when the cannabinoids they are interacting with are limited to those that are native to your own brain. But, add a bit of THC and the mood-modulating effects of ter-penes change from so subtle that most people don’t notice to so intense that virtually everyone notices a difference between a limonene-rich sativa and a linalool-rich indica.

And here’s where it gets really interesting. In addition to containing THC and several other cannabinoids, which turbocharge the cannabinoid receptors in your brain, cannabis contains a large number of terpenes (over 400 have been found in cannabis) that bind to these receptors and affect your mood. Super Lemon Haze puts you in a you in a very different mood than OG Kush because these two strains have very different terpene profiles.

What does this all mean for you? If you’re someone who prefers different strains for different activities (for example, I like Blue Dream for creative projects but Jack Herer for sex), understand that your preference is based not on the ge-netic lineage of the strain but on the particular mix of terpenes found in this strain.

What’s your favorite terpene? Write me at [email protected].



Why Can't I Use My Card?by FRANK STABER // GreenHouse Payment Solutions

Knowing I was in the payment processing business and specialized in setting up unique payment solutions for the cannabis industry, she asked me the question.

The reason medical marijuana and recreational shops won’t take your credit or debit cards is simple. Marijuana is federally illegal and classified as a Schedule I drug. The Controlled Sub-stances Act passed in 1970 makes it illegal to manufacture, possess, or distribute a Schedule I drug. It also became illegal for banks to take any proceeds from marijuana sales. There-fore, banks have serious problems dealing with the cannabis industry. They are afraid of being shut down by federal bank regulators due to receiving money directly or indirectly from the sale of marijuana products. This is in spite of new rules set up in 2014 by the U.S. Department of the Treasury directing U.S. Attorneys not to go after banks doing business with legiti-mate marijuana companies that comply with their guidelines. The bank’s fears were not allayed with this action, nor with congressional legislation passed afterwards stopping the De-partment of Justice from prosecuting marijuana medical pa-tients or dispensaries complying with their state’s laws. It boils down to the simple fact that banks will not get involved with the cannabis industry until Congress passes legislation that removes marijuana from being a Schedule I drug. When this happens, banks and Visa and MasterCard will come on board and interact positively with the marijuana industry.

Until this happens, medical dispensaries and recreational shops continue to be “cash-only” busi-nesses. This isn’t only an inconvenience to cus-tomers, but difficulties also arise in daily opera-tions, including security problems and difficulties in paying vendors and employees, buying equip-

ment—even paying taxes. Some marijuana shops have re-signed themselves to dealing with cash, while others are open to making life easier for themselves, their employees, and, of course, their customers and clients. For example, you may find a cash ATM set up in the lobby. Others have pursued unique payment processing solutions created specifically for them.

When will real change arrive? Hard to tell, but with half of the states having passed some form of medical marijuana laws and several more working on recreational cannabis, pres-sure is on Congress to make the Schedule I classification for marijuana disappear. Efforts continue by cannabis industry advocacy groups in touch with friendly congressmen and women such as the NCIA (National Cannabis Industry Asso-ciation). They held their most successful “Lobby Days” in Washington, D.C., in May.

Hang in there. Someday, you’ll hear a budtender say, “Yes, we’ll take your card!”

“WHY CAN’T I USE MY CARD?”

THIS WAS THE QUESTION ASKED BY AN ACQUAINTANCE OF MINE. SHE HAD STOPPED BY A REC-

REATIONAL MARIJUANA SHOP IN A DIFFERENT PART OF TOWN AND WAS SURPRISED WHEN TOLD

SHE COULDN’T USE HER DEBIT CARD TO MAKE HER PURCHASE. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN’T USE MY

CARD? I ALWAYS USE MY CARD AT ______________!” SHE WAS GIVEN A VAGUE ANSWER ABOUT CREDIT

CARD PROCESSING BEING CLOSED A LONG TIME AGO.

Wh

y?


They come from the four corners of the globe—from Japan and Italy, France and Finland, Germany and Australia, and from across the United States, for a few days of a true Rocky Mountain experience. Their destination: The Adagio, ahistoric, 124-year-old Victorian home, now a six-room boutique hotel, tucked away on a quiet, shaded street off East Colfax Avenue. Their dream: To consume cannabis freely and legally in a safe environment while traveling here for busi-ness, pleasure, or both.

“We’re the only ones who do it like this,” says Lisa Schneider, who along with her husband, Joel, operates four Bud+Breakfast properties in Colorado, including The Adagio (see sidebar). “People come here and in 15 minutes they’re good friends for life. They meet other people here, and they’ll make plans to come back together.”

Although they operate The Adagio like a traditional bed-and-breakfast, they’re taking the concept to a whole new, elevated level. “We’re more of a small bou-tique cannabis hotel than a bed-and-breakfast,” says Lisa, who acts as the company’s director of hospitality. “We have amazing food. We have hosts who are here from 8 o’clock in the morning to 10:30 at night. We have innkeepers who sleep at all of our locations. There’s a guest refrigerator at all of our properties, stocked with beer, wine, and soda. There’s always food around.”

One of their goals in operating their properties, they say, is simply to provide travelers to Denver and Colorado with a safe and legal place to enjoy cannabis in a relaxing environment. “We are an addition to the dispensaries,” explains Joel, the company’s CEO. “We offer an amazing location where people can smoke while sit-ting on couches in the living room or at the dining room table, as if they’re at home.”

That also supports the Schneiders’ second goal: To promote the social aspect of cannabis. At all their properties, guests may smoke in the living room, dining room, and other public areas, but not in their rooms. “The rule of thumb here is you don’t take the cannabis to your room, and you don’t take it out of the house,” says Joel. Instead, they encourage a communal sharing of the plant.

“The concept is not to hide in your room,” Joel says. “The concept is sharing and

Joel + Lisa SchneiderBud+Breakfast

who?

TRAVELERS’ RESTHoteliers Joel and Lisa Schneider of Bud+Breakfast create a welcoming environment for travelers from

around the world, who come here seeking a safe, sociable, and comfortable place to consume cannabis.

{cannabiz}by ROB F E E M A N

being with others of like mind, experiencing cannabis the way it was meant to be experienced, and talking about it, because everyone who comes here, unless you’re a Colorado resident, comes from a state or country where cannabis is illegal.”

That simple fact—the ability to legally purchase, consume, and share canna-bis—is what draws guests from far and wide to The Adagio and its sister proper-ties. “They’re across the board, from 21 to 71,” says Joel of his guests’ ages, “though maybe more in the 40 to 60 age group.” Adds Lisa, “The majority of our guests are people just like us—people you would look at and never in a million years think they smoked pot.”

The “Bud+Breakfast” concept came to Joel while he was visiting Denver about two years ago, looking for ancillary businesses in the cannabis industry. “I was a newbie,” he says. “I wasn’t a grower. I wasn’t in dispensaries. I was at a downtown hotel in Denver, smoking in the bathroom with the shower on and towels stuffed under the door, because I didn’t want them to know I was smoking in my room. I called Lisa and said, ‘I have an idea for a new business, and it’s lodging.’”

They started by literally knocking on doors around town, looking for a property to manage. They soon found The Adagio, which became their first property. At the time, it was a traditional bed-and-breakfast, but business was slow. Joel offered to take over the operation of the place and turn it into a cannabis-friendly retreat.

“We don’t own the properties,” Joel says, “we rent them. But we treat these places as if we owned them. We put the money in for upgrades.” Those upgradeshave included room renovations, electrical and plumbing improvements, and the installation of amenities like hot tubs.

The revamped version of The Adagio opened in 2014, and the idea quickly took off, thanks in part to international media exposure. All their properties now have a high occupancy rates, with a large number of repeat customers.

Everything at their properties is all-inclusive in a room-per-night cost. This way, they say, they can provide the ultimate experience in hospitality, offering food, drink, and a casual social atmosphere, as well as upscale, themed rooms. And although they offer their guests discount coupons to local dispensaries, they emphasize that they do not provide cannabis directly to their guests. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t cannabis around.

“There’s always cannabis here, left by someone who’s checking out, because they don’t want to go on a plane and violate federal law,” Joel says. “We believe in paying it forward. Sometimes people check in late, when the dispensaries are closed, so leftover cannabis from prior guests is shared.”

Although the company is still small, with only a handful of properties, the Schneiders both see an opportunity for nationwide growth. “There’s always go-ing to be the cannabis traveler,” Joel says. “What we want to do is provide them with a safe and secure location. That’s our vision. We see this as the future. I like our business model, and I like what we’ve done.” And given the busy bookings at The Adagio and the other Bud+Breakfast locations, cannabis-friendly travelers seem to like it, too.ROB FEEMAN is the Editor of Sensi Magazine.

Through their company, the Mary Jane Group, Joel and Lisa Schneider operate four cannabis-friendly Bud+Breakfast properties in Colorado, including their newest, a mountain resort offering fishing, horseback riding, ATV rentals, and much more. For additional information on all the properties, visit WWW.BUDANDBFAST.COM.

The Adagio1430 RACE STREET, DENVERROOMS & AMENITIES: Six themed suites named after composers, including the Vivaldi, the Brahms, and the Handel; a large outdoor patio area and paraphernalia bar; Wake and Bake Breakfast and a 420 Happy Hour; adults over 21 only.RATES: $179–$399 BOOKING: 303-870-0903 // 303-370-6911

Hotel San Ayre 3320 W. COLORADO AVE., COLORADO SPRINGSROOMS & AMENITIES: Contemporary mountain lodge with 11 rooms, including seven standard rooms, two suites, and two cottages; suites and cottages include a kitchen or fireplace; hot tub on the property.RATES: $129–$339 BOOKING: 720-668-5400 // 719-632-4355

Bud + Breakfast at Silverthorne 358 LAGOON LANE, SILVERTHORNEROOMS & AMENITIES: Five suites on two floors with Grateful Dead-inspired themes, including the Garcia, the Weir, and the Hart; a bud bar,in addition to the Wake and Bake Breakfast and 420 Happy Hour.RATES: $129–$249 // BOOKING: 970-368-6757

Camp Bud + BreakfastGrand County13206 COUNT Y ROAD 3, PARSHALLROOMS & AMENITIES: Opening July 1, this all- inclusive mountain resort on 414 acres features 12 cabin rooms with refrigerators and gas fireplaces, as well as two guest houses, trout ponds, volleyball, paintball, tubing on the Williams Fork River, horse and ATV rentals, and ranch-style dinners; live music and various classes and events are planned.RATES: FROM $449 FOR RANCH CABINS BOOKING: 303-870-0903

yes, YOUCAN-CAN


W H A T A L O N G , S T R A N G E T R I P

WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF Colorado, THEY IMAGIN E PINE F O R ESTS, S N O W C A P P E D MOUNTAINS, AND DEER. DESERTS, ALLIGATORS, AND ALIENS DEFINITELY DON’T TO P T H AT L I S T, B U T T H AT ’S B E C A U S E C O L O R A D A N S K E E P OUR BEST-KEPT SECRETS CLOSE TO OUR HEARTS. IF YOU’RE LO O K I N G TO E X P E R I E N C E T H E O D D E R S I D E O F W H AT O U R STATE HAS TO OFFER, FOLLOW THIS GUIDE.

by RANDY ROBINSON

CHICKEN SINCLAIR // HOOPER, CO: You know you’re in Hooper whenyou spot the giant avian statuesat the local Sinclair gas station.

ROYAL GORGE // CAÑON CIT Y, CO: Walking across the Royal Gorge Bridge is exciting enough. But thrill-seekers canride zip-lines, gondolas, and even swingover the 1,200-foot-deep canyon.

R ///// HOOPER, CO:re in Hooper when

you spot the giant avian statuesocal Sinclair gas station.

W H A T A L O N G , S T R A N G E T R I P

The Skyward Beacon U FO W ATC H T OW E R

For UFO enthusiasts, the San Luis Valley is a place of legend. The first documented cattle mutilation (well, a horse, actually) took place here in the 1950s. Ever since that macabre discovery, locals and travelers swear they’ve seen anomalous lights flying through the skies here. That gave local Judith Messoline an idea: create a camping area for the UFO chasers who annually gathered in Hooper, CO, in search of other-worldly visitors.

To date, Messoline claims there’s been over a hun-dred sightings at the Watchtower ever since its found-ing in 2000. The most recent sighting, she says, hap-pened at the end of March.

During half the year, the UFO Watchtower is rela-tively empty outside of “The Garden,” an area where travelers leave mementos as offerings to extra-dimen-sional entities. Feel free to leave an item, but it’s über-bad juju to take something from the area.

Next to The Garden sits the watchtower proper, a dome-shaped gift shop nestled beneath a metallic mesh that acts as an observation deck. For kids with a wavering interest in flying saucers, there’s a play-ground onsite to keep them occupied. Even if no little green men appear during your visit, the stargazing experience alone is worth the trip: the sky near Hoop-er isn’t dimmed by big-city lights, so satellites, shoot-ing stars, and even the Milky Way are clearly visible at the UFO Watchtower.

Colorado is one of America’s premier tourist destinations. But who knew it could be so ... WEIRD?


The Watchtower is always open. Campers can show up any time, 24/7, without reservations. In the event you don’t happen to meet any reptilians from Alpha Draconis, you can hang out with some earthling rep-tiles just down the road.

The Exotic Animal SanctuaryC O L O R A D O G ATO R S R E P T I L E P A R K

What in tarnation are gators doing way out here in Colorado? Aren’t they a Florida thing? You might be surprised to know that alligators are one of the few creatures that can be frozen, thawed, and brought back to life. They do fairly well in the Colorado snow, thank you very much.

Founded in 1977 as a humble tilapia farm, the Reptile Park has since evolved into a self-sus-taining animal sanctuary. The park ac-cepts abandoned exotic pets and exotic pets forfeited to law

enforcement—in case you didn’t know, it’s illegal to own an alligator in most places, but some folks learn that the hard way.

Although the park is most famous for its legion of alligators, it also hosts tortoises, giant snakes, lizards, frogs, emus, and a parrot. Oh yeah, there's some friendly humans there, too, who will guide

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Feel free to leave an item, but it’s über-bad juju to take something from the area.

UFO WATCHTOWER // HOOPER, CO: The garden contains mementos of all types. As one would expect in Colorado, past visitors have left a number of empty cannabis bottles for our extradimensional friends.

G ATORS REPTILE PARK // MOSCA, CO: Outside of wrestling, the gators at the Reptile Park live pretty chillaxed lives.

H O W E V E R, I F YO U L E F T T H I S L I O N E L R I C H I E G R E AT E S T H I T S C A S S E T T E TA P E , P L E A S E C OM EB A C K A ND C O L L E C T I T, A S A P.


you, educate you, and even take your photo while you pose with a baby gator.

The Reptile Park acts as its own enclosed ecosys-tem. Waste from the tilapia fish pools gets pumped through the sanctuary’s water pipes, feeding the park’s plants and microorganisms. Some of these reptiles even coexist alongside one another, espe-cially the turtles and gators who can be caught nap-ping in the same scaly cuddle puddle during the day.

For the starstruck, drop by the Reptile Park just to see Morris. Chances are you’ve never heard of him, but you’ve likely seen him in films such as Happy Gilmore, Interview with a Vampire, Eraser, Blues Brothers 2000, and Dr. Doolittle 2. He’s happily retired after a 25-year career, though he’s currently not avail-able to sign autographs.

The Reptile Park also offers gator wrestling class-es for those of you who dabble in extreme sports. If wrasslin’ a reptile strikes you as a little too close-and- personal, you can buy some cheap feed to toss at the super-lizards instead.

A Desert Among the TreesG RE A T S A N D D U N E S N AT I ON A L PA R K

Just a few miles from the UFO Watchtower and the Reptile Park looms one of America’s most anom-alous natural formations: the Great Sand Dunes. From a distance, the dunes look like a massive sand hill dropped at the base of the Rocky Mountains. If you dare to trek to the top of the dunes, you’ll find yourself immersed in a scene that looks more like Persia than it does Parker.

How did a desert end up in the middle of Colorado’s evergreen mountains? According to geologists, ancient

lakes in the area evaporated nearly half a million yearsago. The sand never washed away. A cyclical flow of airand water sweeps the sand from the base of the San-gre de Cristo Mountains while opposing wind currentslift the sands back atop the dunes.

The Great Sand Dunes today attracts campers, hik-ers, and sandboarders (yes, that’s a real thing) from all

over the world. There’s multiple camp sites for fami-lies who wish to stay overnight, and respectful camp-ers can spend a night out in the dunes. If you do plan to check out the dunes at night, aim for a night with a full moon. The sand reflects the moonlight like abillion tiny mirrors, casting an eerie silver glow over everyone and everything in the area.

Summers at the dunes can get fairly hot during the day. Luckily, there’s a shallow run-off creek that flows along the base of the dunes. If the heat gets unbearable, feel free to literally roll off the hills and splash into some fresh, cold mountain water.

The Bridge to NowhereR O YA L G O R G E B R I D G E

In 1929, Texan businessman Lon P. Piper ordered the construction of a bridge over Colorado’s Royal Gorge, a valley cut nearly 1,000-feet deep by the Ar-kansas River. Piper intended the bridge to become an amusement park, so for much of its existence it literally led to nowhere but “the other side.” Today, there’s a museum, restaurant, and gift shop on the other end of the bridge. During non-business hours,


The sand reflects the moonlight like a billion tiny mirrors, casting an eerie silver glow over everyone and everything in the area.

GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK // MOSCA, CO: If the sand gets too hot for your feet, you can always stroll through the creek at the base of the dunes.


BISHOP’S CASTLE // SAN ISABEL NATIONAL FOREST: Known to youngsters as “Colorado’s Hogwarts,”

the castle is open year-round, and it’s alwaysfree. Donations, however, are greatly appreciated.

the bridge is known as Fremont County Road 3A, and it connects Route 50 to itself. Until 2001, the Roy-al Gorge Bridge was the highest bridge in the world. Today, it still holds the record for the world’s highest suspension bridge.

Visitors can brave a trek across the bridge’s 1,300 wooden planks. These planks contain narrow gaps, so if you’re a bit of a shoe-gazer, you will see the bot-tom of the gorge beneath your feet. If you seek ad-venture, there’s no shortage here: rafting, climbing, hiking, and camping are available at the Royal Gorge. If you’re thirsting for a real rush, consider taking the zip line over the gorge, or hop into the Skycoaster swing. If you’d prefer a more mellow outing, a gondo-la shuttles passengers from one side of the gorge to the other throughout the day.

For a truly memorable experience, helicopter tours will dive in and around the bridge. If you’re lucky, you may catch park-approved bungee jumpers attempt-ing to break world records as they leap into the gorge’s gaping maw.

The King of the HillB I S H O P ’S C A S T L E

In the 1970s, Coloradan Jim Bishop bought a plot of land in San Isabel National Forest. While con-structing a brick building to house his water tank, a neighbor jokingly asked if Bishop was building a castle. One idea led to another, and Bishop got to thinking—what if he did actually build a castle outin the Rocky Mountains?

Almost four decades later, and Bish-op’s Castle is still under construction. However, it’s open to the public during daylight hours, so long as you’re willing to sign a safetywaiver before plumbing the castle’s hidden recesses.

A stone arch leads to the main road that accesses the castle. Along the way, visitors discover Bishop’scolorful political rants, written on wooden plaques scattered around the site. There’s multiple entrances into the castle, but one of the more popular waypointsis the steep stairway that leads to the front of the church. The church boasts a cathedral-style archi-tecture, complete with a vaulted ceiling, stained glasswindows, and a metallic dragon’s head fitted at the top. During the warmer months, the church can be reserved for events such as weddings and holiday services.

Beyond the church are winding spiral staircases that lead up either of the castle’s towers. For travel-ers who don’t fear heights (the Royal Gorge is on the itinerary, after all), climb all the way up to the top of the towers for a captivating view of San Isabel and the castle itself. There’s also a catwalk that stretch-es over the church’s rooftop.

On your way out, please be mindful that Bishop’s Castle operates on donations. A locked donation boxcan be found at the bottom level. There’s also a ra-ven that lives in the area and stashes its treasures in a nearby dollhouse. The raven also accepts dona-tions in the form of shiny trinkets. And if you’d like to stick around after your visit to the castle, there’s ample camping available for miles around San Isa-bel National Forest.


Kendal Norris of MASON JAR EVENT GROUP blends together southern charm and elevated style with aRocky Mountain High during LUXE EVENTS that arenothing short of blissful.

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And as anyone who has been to one of the events produced by Kendal’s Mason Jar Event Group will tell you, she accomplishes that mission at each of her signature series, which include seasonal canna-bis-pairing dinners and yoga brunches. She explains that it all starts with the product. “Working with good, quality cannabis is the start of everything,” she says. Combine the cannabis with culinary events preparedby Top Chef winner Chef Hosea Rosenberg of Black-belly Market, quintessential Colorado settings, a com-mitment to sustainability, and an unmatched atten-tion to detail, and you’ve got a collection of elevated gatherings that has set the bar super high in the ex-ploding high-end cannabis industry.

Take, for example, the recent Yoga with a View gathering, which took place at the secluded Lone

Hawk Farm in Longmont. Guests coming in from Denver could opt to take a shuttle service to the

Growing Kitchen in Boulder, where they were able to purchase a goodie bag filled to the brimwith cultivated offerings, such as the Sanctu-ary strain, grown by The Growing Kitchen and extracted by Green Dot Labs Fine Cannabis

Extracts. There was also Kitchen Kush, an indica-leaning hybrid flower; The Coffee by

Canyon Cultivation, an infused caffein-

ated beverage; and vanilla-mint drops by Canyon Cultivation; Go-Chi or Zoom Balls by the Growing Kitchen, and more. Altogether quite the haul for just $25 (the price is on top of the cost of attending the event, which is around $150, give or take depending on season and setting).

Legally, Mason Jar can’t actually provide the can-nabis to the attendees. “Everyone has to be over the age of 21, and they have to go into a licensed facility and make an actual monetary purchase, pay the tax-es,” explains Kendal. “Then you take it with you and we offer a suggested pairing. You can either partake or not, at your own speed, at your own pace.”

In the event space on the picture-perfect farm, twolong tables perfectly set and enhanced by centerpiec-es from Buds and Blossoms sat by the side wall, while yoga mats dotted the floor in a semi-circle facing the stage. A dab bar in the corner was open with a high CBDextract, while assorted house-made pastries curbedany pre-yoga hunger pains. The practice itself, led by Larissa Ortiz, was mindful, gentle, and soothing, toppedoff by a guided meditation. Then came the food. Oh, the incredible farm-to-table fare: the southwest scram-ble with fresh chorizo, green chilies, fire-roasted salsa,and corn tortillas. The house-made bacon. The organ-ic “grit girl” smoked cheddar grits. An amalgamation

by S TEPHANIE WILSON

L A S T S P R I N G , Kendal Norris H A D A D R E A M . I N T H AT D R E A M , T H E N A S H V I L L E -R A I S E D, B O U L D E R -B A S E D C H A R M E R W I T H A S WE E T DR AW L AND A S H A R P W I T OW N E D A C O M PA N Y T H AT P U T O N FA N TA S T I C E V E N T S I N W H I C H C A N N A B I S WA S PAIRED WITH ACTIVITIES SUCH AS YOGA. SHE AWOKE FR OM HER DREAM AS A WOM AN ON A MISSION TO TURN THAT DREAMSC APE INTO A REALITY.

perfectiontoby S TEPHANIE WILSON

f tionPAIRED


of dancing flavors all enhanced by the packed PAX 2 vaporizers making their way around the tables of blissful post-yoga patrons.

The unique nature of the luxe events has earned Kendal and Mason Jar quite the collection of notable press coverage. Even Vanity Fair covered the first event last fall, titling the piece “Kush and Cocktails: Scenes from a Top Chef ’s Weed-Pairing Dinner.” The novelty of what’s happening in Colorado is wildly ap-pealing to less enlightened states.

Kendal explains that the buzz sur-rounding the first few events has real-ly helped her business start to thrive. “It got us in front of some cannabis companies that were interested in what we were doing, trying to align themselves with something different than the typical boobs-and-bongs parties” that per-meate the cannabis industry subculture.

It also helped open up Kendal’s eyes to the flourishing community of cannabis smokers who are just now feeling comfortable coming out of the cannabis closet. “Just knowing that there were other women like me who were smoking pot in their cars before they went into yoga or before they went into dinner. I was like, look where we live! This is ri-diculous. We can do this, we can bring this together.”

One of the biggest challenges she faces is finding the perfect venue for the upscale gatherings. Sheexplains that at the first dinner, the owner of the property, a woman in her early 60s, said during their initial meeting that she would be absolutely fine with

up&coming MASON JAR E V ENT

GROUP GATHERINGS SUMMERJULY 14 // Mason Jar Seasonal Pairing DinnerAUGUST 7 // Yoga with a View FALLSEPTEMBER 15 // Mason Jar Seasonal Pairing DinnerNOVEMBER 13 // Yoga with a View

h

h

TO REQUEST AN INVITATION TO THESE PRIVATE EVENTS, CONTACT KENDAL ON MASONJAR EVENT GROUP’S FACEBOOK PAGE: WWW.FB.COM/MASONJAREVENTGROUP/

a cannabis event. “We got there,” Kendal recalls, “and the woman taps me on the shoulder during the event,and she goes, ‘You know, I didn’t even know what a cannabis was, but I didn’t want to look silly.’” It all worked out, though, and the woman even said that her kids were going to be so impressed.

As the popularity of her events grows, Kendal as-sures that the size of the gatherings will not. “I don’t

care who you are in the kitchen, if you are feeding more than 85 people, I feel like the

food won’t be as good, and that’s such a driver for these things.”

Chef Rosenberg also seems to en-joy the pairing dinners. At the Spring

seasonal pairing dinner up in Black Hawk, the chef addressed the blissed-out crowd at the end of a meal that combined courses such as braised beef country ribs and house-made sausage with Mindful’s Tri-angle Kush, and said that he makes almost

twice the amount of food when he’s cooking for these special pairing dinners. He also noted

that this is one time when the dining room smells way better than the kitchen itself.

In the future, Kendal would like to add one more signature series to the two already underway, which are complemented by private events she puts on for a variety of clients. She also has big plans for a larger gathering that combines a music festival with yogaand a pairing dinner into one celebration of the best Colorado has to offer. And when that happens, you can rest assured we’ll see you there.

IF YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWING OUR LEGAL SCENE HERE IN COLORADO, CHANCES ARE YOU’VEHEARD OF Teri Robnett . SHE CURRENTLY RUNS THE Rx MARYJANE BLOG, WHICHD O C U M E N T S H E R E X P E R I E N C E S A N D T H O S E O F O T H E R S I N T H E M E D I C A L C A N N A B I S C O M M U N I T Y. L E G I S L AT O R S AT T H E C A P I T O L B U I L D I N G K N O W H E R A S T H E F O U N D E R AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CANNABIS PATIENTS ALLIANCE, AN EDUCATIONAL ANDA DVO C AC Y GROUP THAT C AMPAIGNS ON BEHALF OF PATIENTS—PATIENTS TOO EASILYF O R G OT T E N I N T HE M A E L S T R O M OF M A R I J UA N A L EG A L I Z AT IO N.

by RANDY ROBINSON

TERI ROBNET T is not only one of the mostprominent CANNABIS ADVOCATE here in

Colorado, she’s also a CANNABIS PATIENT.



Robnett understands the need to protect medical cannabis programs because she herself is a patient. In 1987, a car accident triggered Robnett’s fibromyalgia, a neuro-logical condition that causes chronic pain, fatigue, emotional distress, and a hazy am-

nesiac state known as the “fibro fog.”Fibro fog may one of the more troublesome aspects of fibromyalgia, because

it can impede concentration for day-to-day tasks. Until the past few years, manydoctors believed fibromyalgia was a myth, a phantom disorder perpetu-

ated by “hysterical” women. Recent developments in medicine con-firmed that fibromyalgia is most definitely real, and it affects men,

too. A simple biopsy procedure can confirm its most telltale sign: excessive growth of nerve endings throughout the body.

Prior to the passage of Amendment 20, the bill that legal-ized medical cannabis in Colorado, Robnett tried convention-al treatments for her fibromyalgia, included benzodiazepines and opioid painkillers. “Benzos would just knock me out, and Tylenol with codeine #3 made me itchy,” she recounts. Since pharmaceuticals didn’t control her symptoms, she looked

to alternative treatments. For years she relied on a good diet, regular exercise, and tried her best to get decent sleep.

For those who suffer with fibromyalgia, lack of sleep may be one of the worst symptoms. Sleep deprivation can aggravate the condition, leading to greater anxiety, pain,

and intensified fibro fog. At one point in her life, she sim-ply accepted that an obscene amount of sleep deprivation

would just be the way of things. But when Robnett discovered cannabis, her life changed dramatically.

It took some time, but Robnett eventually figured out a process for self-medication that worked for her. In addition to exercise and

diet, she eats a cannabis-infused edible before bed. While waiting for the edible to kick in, she may vape or smoke a small amount of bud to get her body primed. When the inhaled medication starts to wear off, that’s when

the edible takes effect. Cannabis, she says, “makes the pain better, it makes the exhaustion better, it makes the fibro fog bet-

ter.” And, most importantly, it allows her to get a

THE {GOOD} LABOne of Robnett’s newest ventures is a service that was, until recently, denied to cannabis patients. She’s the co-owner of The Good Lab, the only certified lab in the state of Colorado that will test cannabis samples for consumers and patients. Prior to the establishment of The Good Lab, only licensed marijuana companies could submit samples for testing.

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“ WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON ’T GET ENOUGH

ENDOCANNABINOIDS? YOU GET FIBROMYALGIA AND

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME . WHEN I FIRST HEARD

ABOUT THAT, I FELL TO THE FLOOR AND CRIED.

A N D T H E N I G O T M A D.T H E O N E T H I N G T H A T C O U L D S U P P L E M E N T W H A T

MY BODY CANNOT MAKE ITSELF, THE GOVERNMENT

IS PREVENTING ME FROM HAVING .”solid six to eight hours of sleep every night.

Although fibro patients may find relief in medi-cal cannabis, every case is different. “Just try it“Just try it“ ,” Rob-nett says in regards to self-medicating. “If it doesn’t work the first time, keep trying it in different ways. You can even try topicals,” such as creams or salves, You can even try topicals,” such as creams or salves, Y“which won’t get you high.”

Today, Robnett serves as a living testament to med-ical cannabis. She’s at the top of her game because shehas to be. Even though Colorado is seen as a haven forboth medical cannabis refugees and recreational us-ers, some legislators and lobbyists are quietly work-ing to chisel away medical cannabis programs—but not on her watch.

State and local tourist agencies won’t have anything to do with it, but CANNA-TOURISMis bringing VISITORS TO COLORADO for an elevated way to enjoy the state’s natural wonders.


“Isn’t this great?”JEN IS IN DENVER FR OM VIRGINIA FOR A FEW DAYS OF VACATION TIME WITH HER HUSBAND, DICK. BOTH ARE IN THEIR 30s. WE’RE ABOARD THE COLORADO C ANNABIS TOUR BUS, A ROOMY RECTANGLE WITH SHADED WINDOWS AND FAUX- LEATHER SE ATS AROUND THE EDGES. WU TANG CL AN IS TURNED UP, WITH VIDEO SCREENS IN FRONT AND B ACK, AND WE’RE HE ADED F O R A GR OW OPE R ATION.

Jen has just taken a hit from the Incredibowl, a bong-like device with a long plastic tube that deliv-ers a slow, smooth, and easy hit of bud. Whatever anxiety anybody had when we boarded has dissi-pated: Cannabis is illegal in most states and coun-tries of the world, and here we all are, laughing and sharing and enjoying ourselves. We’ll visit a retail store and a glass-blowing demonstration on a Fri-day afternoon that began at 12:30 p.m. at Cheba Hut just off the 16th Street Mall and was scheduled to end at 4:20, although we missed that by about 20 minutes thanks to Denver’s afternoon traffic jam.

“Isn’t this great?”Colorado Cannabis Tours is run by Michael Eymer,

who seems perfectly suited to the job of escorting a busful of newbies through Denver’s cannabis side. Though he reminded us as we boarded that we could imbibe as soon as we were onboard, he peppered the group with questions as soon as the door closed: What were everyone’s expectations; had anyone used alco-hol or consumed edibles before coming aboard; just how much cannabis had they consumed; were they regular users or just curious? And he talked at length about edibles and how to consume them safely to a group that averaged in age from early 20s to late 60s.

“I classify two types of canna-tourists,” says Jere-my Bamford, who owns and operates the Colorado Pot Guide website. “There are the die-hards who are here to immerse themselves in the culture. They most-ly stay in Denver at the 420-friendly hotels and go on tours and visit a lot of dispensaries,” Bamford ex-plains. “Then there are the more casual visitors com-

ing out here on vacation for other reasons, and they have an interest and want to experience the scene on some level. More than 40 percent of our visitors are over 35,” he adds, dispelling the somewhat prev-alent myth that cannabis tourism is mostly young men here to get zonked out of their brains. “The big-gest market is people aged 35–55. They’re the ones booking rooms and spending money.”

The state of Colorado doesn’t officially sanctify cannabis as a tourist attraction, instead pointing to the impact of its recent $5.3 million “Come To Life” television /print/ billboard/digital national ad cam-paign as the main trigger for visitors. “We don’t ad-vertise it in any way, shape, or form,” says Cathy Ritter,director of the Colorado Tourism Office. Since can-nabis is illegal on a federal level, she explains, it can’t be advertised in national campaigns. “Mari-juana travel is a niche market. The main drivers for visitors don’t include marijuana use—they are the same ones as always: scenic drives, historic sites, beauty, and backpacking opportunities.”

Mary Ann Mahoney, director of the Boulder Con-vention & Visitors Bureau, says that her staff refers the cannabis curious to the state-operated Good to Know Colorado website, which includes all rules and regulations about cannabis. “We don’t get a lot of calls,” she says. “You would think that Boulder has that reputation. In the greater world, it has more the reputation of outdoor recreation, a healthy, ac-tive lifestyle, and high tech. Our job is not to change that perception. It’s really about meeting the expec-tations of our guests.”


by LEL AND RUCKER

S P E C I A L R E P O R T


The state tourism board last fall released the resultsof a study evaluating the advertising campaign. “The main finding was that the availability of marijuana, for the vast majority of travelers, is a ho-hum issue,” Ritter says. One study finding that almost half of vis-itors listed cannabis as among the reasons for theirvisit, Ritter says, has been discredited by the survey company. “But it has taken on a life of its own. The question didn’t ascertain whether it affected them positively or negatively. They are rewording the ques-tion for future surveys. But that number gets report-ed and re-reported.”

Other statistics suggest that canna-tourism is morepervasive than the state wants to admit. A 2014 surveyfound that up to 90 percent of recreational cannabis sales in mountainsales in mountainsales in communities mountain communities mountain were to tourists, whichcertainly means that some out-of-state skiers are inter-ested in more than fresh powder when hitting the hills.

A lot of local businesses might disagree, too. Half a dozen companies run tour-bus services like the one

we’re on that will pick you up at DIA and take you to dispensaries and cannabis-friendly lodging or let youcreate your own tour of Denver’s cannabis culture. Staid old Frommer’s now includes a tourist guide on buying cannabis in Colorado, and even The New YoYoY rkTimes andTravel & Leisure have reported on cannabistourism here.

Though purchasing cannabis is pretty easy (you just need a driver’s license that shows you’re 21), find-ing a place to use is still a hassle. YoYoY u can’t consume in public areas, and many visitors don’t have friends in the area. Hotels, especially larger chains, have tightened no-smoking policies. In Boulder, for in-stance, no hotels allow smoking in rooms.

That has left the door open for short-term rentals

like Airbnb and HomeAway.y.y Airbnb operators who ad-vertise as 420-friendly in Craigslist and elsewhere areexperiencing higher occupancy. Eymer works with several hotels and rental properties that provide, somediscreetly, places for travelers to use cannabis.

Bamford explains there is still apprehension aboutbeing associated with cannabis, especially people from states where it is illegal. “There is definitely a segment that is concerned with being on the right side of the law while they’re here,” he says. “They’re looking for marijuana-friendly lodging as a place to consume what they buy. We’re trying to provide themwith resources.”

When Bamford started calling hoteliers in 2013, most hung up or were, at best, antipathetic. “There were some places that decided to embrace it, mostly smaller places, independent places, and some com-mercial hotels in Denver. The Crown Plaza, for in-stance, built a relationship with tour operators, and they provide a desktop vaporizer.”

But even if they tolerate cannabis, hotels and mo-tels are still wary. On the Pot Guide website, all can-nabis-friendly hotels list only the phone number, not the name or location. “It’s a weird dynamic,” says Bam-ford. “They want the business but are concerned withalienating their existing client base. But a lot of fears are being alleviated, and more are coming on.”

There are a few scattered private clubs where tour-ists can bring their own stash in Colorado Springs, Englewood, and Nederland. A Denver public-use ini-tiative last year gathered enough signatures to make the 2015 ballot but was pulled before it came to a vote. At press At press A time, a new proposal from Denver NORML andResponsible Use Colorado is obtaining signatures to place a similar petition onto this year’s ballot.

“ T H E L O C A L DE N V E R A ND B O U L DE R N IGH T L IFE ,

M U S IC AND C O M E D Y SC E N E S A R E H E A LTH Y A N D

U B IQU I TOUS , A S A R E T HE F E S T I VA LS A ND C O NC E RTS I N

T H E M OUN TA I NS DU R I NG T H E S U M M E R MON T H S .”


Colorado passed medical marijuana rules two yearsbefore recreational rules, and the state was caught somewhat by surprise by the popularity of edibles. Medical patients use higher amounts of THC than most recreational users, and it can take a few hoursfor the effects of edibles to materialize. A couple of deaths reportedly linked to marijuana and a column from a New York Times reporter who had an anxiousnight after consuming too much brought edibles intothe national limelight.

The state legislature’s solution limits the amount of THC in each edible product for recreational users to 10 mg. Still, a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the number of out-of-state residents who went to a Colorado emer-gency room for cannabis-related reasons nearly dou-bled from 2012 to 2014.

That might sound ominous in a headline, but takenin context, it means that a total of 150 visitors, and 100 more residents, were admitted for cannabis-re-lated anxiety. What the stories didn’t say is that that’s

250 cases out of literally millions of edible experienc-es, and since cannabis is non-toxic, hospital visits werelimited to the time people experienced symptoms.

And the “start low, go slow” has become almost a mantra around the industry. “I think people are moreaware, and the media are educating people more andmore,” says Kyle Sherman of Flowhub, a company thatprovides metrics and data for dispensaries. “It can bedangerous, and it’s important that we regulate it so people who come here to use it for the first time havea fantastic time.”

Everybody on the bus seems to be doing just that. During a stop at Medicine Man’s retail shop, I’m sit-ting on the couch with Chimére, on the tour from Georgia with her husband, who’s in line to check out the retail merchandise. A few folks behind her are lin-ing up to take selfies with a giant, plastic joint. Legal-ization, she says, was at least part of the reason they decided to visit Denver this year. “I wish we could havethis back in Atlanta,” she says. “But it’s great to be able to visit a place where this is happening.”

Comic Con began in San Diego in 1970 as a comic book convention for artists, writers, and their fans. Over the decades, the Comic Con phenomenon spread across the globe, with con-ventions hosted in India, Europe, and the United Arab Emirates. Denver Comic Con is one of the youngest, with the first held in 2012 at Denver’s Colorado Convention Center. Today, Denver’s is the third largest Comic Con in the world, pulling in nearly 115,000 attendees this year.

At Denver Comic Con, June 17–19, 2016, people from around the city, the state, and the nation came together to flaunt their cos-play prowess. Cosplayers of all ages, sizes, and experience levels posed for photos and roleplayed their favorite characters over the course of an entire weekend.

There were also endless entertainments for pop culture fanat-ics. Vendors offered rare finds for comic, toy, and memorabilia collectors. Hollywood stars such as Brent Spiner, Karl Urban, and Haley Atwell held panels where they took questions from the audience and told insider stories about behind-the-scenes hijinks. And this year’s event presented the Grand Poobah of Comics himself, Stan Lee.

If you happened to miss Denver Comic Con this year, fret not: it’ll be here again next June. Same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel.

Some cosplayers revise famous

characterslike this samurai

version ofIron Man.

All-inclusive: zombies and mermaids alike accepted.

CONCOMIC

sensiSCENEDENVER COMIC CON


Comic book legend Stan Lee took questions from a crowd of 3,000 fans.

Brooke Martinez on

fleek with her rendition

of Jessica Rabbit.

DEN VER

Sensi Magazine-Denver/Boulder (July 2016)

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Transcript of Sensi Magazine-Denver/Boulder (July 2016)